René Friedl is an East German-German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 luge

Luge

A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...

r who has competed during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He won two medals in the mixed team event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1993

FIL World Luge Championships 1993

The FIL World Luge Championships 1993 took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the second time, having previously hosted the event in 1990.-Men's singles:Suckow is the first American to win a championship at the World or Winter Olympic level....

 and a silver in 1989

FIL World Luge Championships 1989

The FIL World Luge Championships 1989 took place in Winterberg, West Germany. The mixed team event consisting of two separate runs each in men's singles, two separate runs each in women's singles, and one run in men's doubles debutted.-Men's singles:...

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Friedl also won four medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with three golds (Men's singles: 1992

FIL European Luge Championships 1992

The FIL European Luge Championships 1992 took place in Winterberg, Germany for the second time after hosting the event previously in 1982. It marked the first time East Germany and West Germany competed as a unified German team since the country reunified in 1990 and in the championships since...

, Mixed team (1990

FIL European Luge Championships 1990

The FIL European Luge Championships 1990 took place in Igls, Austria for a second time after hosting the event previously in 1951.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...

, 1992) and one silver (Mixed team: 1994

FIL European Luge Championships 1994

The FIL European Luge Championships 1994 took place in Königssee, Germany for a record sixth time after hosting the event previously in 1967, 1972, 1973, 1977, and 1988.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:...

). His best overall Luge World Cup seasonal finish was second in the men's singles in 1986-7.

Friedl also finished eighth in the men's singles event at the 1992 Winter Olympics

1992 Winter Olympics

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...

 in Albertville

Albertville

Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...

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Since 2005, he has been head coach of the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n luge team.